20 Ways to Defeat the Fall Time Blues

It comes when you don’t expect it. Slowly taking over the faces of Quest students, from the start of the first rain, until the beginning of the first snowfall. Symptoms include “resting sad face”; bursts of frustrated energy built up from being inside for extended periods of time; walking as if your backpack and chest are filled with barbells and weights; saying things like “but the party is all the way in South….” from your North room (culminating in a suffering social life); buying heinous amounts of caffeine at the Caf because you feel like you don’t have anything to lose; and crying when you slip down the hill because UGH WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME.

If you have any or all of the above symptoms, you may be suffering from the Squamish Fall Time Blues (SFTB). Quest sees a large amount of students contract this around the start of October, yet a stunning amount of cases seem to vanish when the first snowfall hits. It is necessary to find ways to combat this potentially destructive phenomenon. Here are some tips to making Fall more fun:

1) Go to bed early. Surviving on small amount of sleep has been proven to make SFTB even worse. Try to set a daily schedule for yourself that will give your body the sleep you need. (“But Kate, it is impossible to get sleep in college… think again! I have been #inspired by 2nd year Kynyn’s ability to literally go to bed at 10pm almost every night. Shout out to Kynyn and her dope sleep habits.)

2) Get that D. Low levels of vitamin D in the body are linked to the symptoms of depression. Try taking Vitamin D pills, or sitting in front of those super weird looking sun lamps in the library. They make you happier! 🙂 (Also vitamin D is in orange juice, which is #yum so yay!)

3) Find an indoor creative outlet. Rain doesn’t do well for cool and creative outdoor activities. If your personal outlet is something that you normally do outside, maybe try and find something new that you can do to express yourself inside! The Quest Arts Bay is awesome, and open for students to come and make art; the dance studio is another way to let your body express itself. Consider starting an online music blog, learning to cook, or, maybe writing for the Mark newspaper! Finding a way to express while being indoors in these months is crucial.

5) Find a way to move your body. Often when it is rainy, it can be natural to spend lots of time sitting watching pirated movies online. This is great, and if that is what you need to stay sane, go for it. However, sometimes it can be good for mental health to move your body every once in while. This doesn’t have to be sports, or heavy exercise, (or maybe it is for you!), but even just taking a quick walk around your building or spending 10 minutes stretching, can make all the difference.

6) Spend time outside, in whatever way you wish. Maybe for some of you, going on a crazy epic hiking trip in the rain and storm is what “going outside” means to you. Maybe sitting out on your porch listening to reggae is what “being outside” means to you. Whatever it means to you, and whatever you like to do, being outside, taking in the smell of the fresh rain, is good for you. And, often just what you might need to get you in study mood for your next paper.

7) Eat chocolate. Just do it.

8) Play board games. This is a heavily underrated activity.

9) Learn how to play chess. I don’t know how to play chess. This is bad. Be better than me.

10) TCOY = Take Care Of Yourself. Please. Do what you need. Eat what you want.

You will get through these Fall Time Blues. Then, it snows! How cool! You got this.